I recently received a request to set up a form that displays a recurring schedule of dates and times, allowing visitors to request one of those blocks of time as an appointment. The schedule would be the same every week, with numerous available blocks of time on specific days of each week.

I had two choices; I could either manually figure out each of the dates and then insert them into the database (either by-hand or with a script of some sort), which would require me to update the database to add new future dates rather frequently, or I could figure out a way to let PHP figure out the dates for me. I chose the latter, and I’ll show you how I did it after the jump.

A few years ago, I signed up for one of Adobe’s free “ConnectNow” accounts when they launched acrobat.com. I was extremely impressed with the quality of the interface and the amount of features included with the free account. From the time the service launched, Adobe has always allowed up to three participants in a free ConnectNow meeting room at a time. ConnectNow proved a great resource to use when training clients how to use their new content management systems, holding meetings with small groups of people and more.

Unfortunately, though, Adobe sent out a notice yesterday informing all of its ConnectNow customers (the free accounts, at least) that they are changing things. The main change is that, as of Nov. 4, they will only allow two people in the meeting room at a time.